He’s a machine.

Genuinely did not know that Pogacar was in there!

I’ve been up there, recognise the top junction.
It probably only took me 3 or 4 times longer than these guys to ride up the cobbles.

fascinating tactical to & fro 🙂

ooooft thats going to smart!

Been over that level crossing several times as well. Think I’ve only ever descended this section though, never climbed it as they are.

Pog dishing out the pain!

Proper race this

From a fan point of view I don’t think you could ask for a better trio to have at the front of a spring classic.

You can hear the wind in the microphones, it’s blowing a gale. Just little hints like the marshal vests blowing around.

That’s not allowed!
UCI rules put a stop to on-the-move chain lube a while ago!

To be fair, the on the move lubing is nowhere near the offence that MVP’s socks are!!

The hilarious thing now would be these three messing around so much that the chasers come right back to them!

Good day for Jumbo Visma!!

Man. What a race.

Races like this really outline what an exciting racer pog is. When he dominates it’s boring but when he’s got rivals who can beat him it just shows how much ge loves to race.

I didn’t really watch the classics much when boonen and cancellara were in their prime. Is this how good it was?

Preview of tomorrow.

https://www.cyclist.co.uk/in-depth/gent-wevelgem-preview

I’m working on a road race so won’t get to see any of it. ☹️

watched E3 this afternoon – van der poel seemed to do a lot more work on the front and was sort of squeezed out as pog came to the front with him behind. Pog closed over in front of Wout as he passed him lots of times, leaving VdP in the wind even before his pull. Clever from either Pog of Wout (or both), bit dozy from VdP

Also caught up with E3 today,was an excellent race but the moto crash looked horrendous, lucky no one was seriously injured.

Yikes!

Feel like I’m witnessing more Moto crashes in bike races in the last couple of years. Had it always been a thing and they’re just being caught on camera more?

jeez, I didn’t see that – just the rider lifting it up
hopefully nobody badly hurt
☹

I didn’t really watch the classics much when boonen and cancellara were in their prime. Is this how good it was?

I’ve been watching the classics for over 30 years -it was rarely Mano et Mano like it is with WvA and MVdP and now with Pog plus I don’t remember racing being of such consistently high quality either – when they’re both in the race everyone else needs to bring their A+ game if they want a chance.

E3 was an interesting race, clearly Pog and MVdP don’t want to take Wout to a sprint but the fact that on these shorter climbs Pog cannot drop MVdP is playing into Wouts hands. Neither Pog or MVdP want to go all in to drop everyone as they keep getting neutralised by the other so Wout can hang in. Or would they have got rid of him without the Moro crash and does Pog think he can beat MVdP in a two up sprint?
Answers at Flanders….

a day for the hard men 😀

I feel cold and miserable just watching it

looks like a local is enjoying it, right i’m off. and wtf is Jakobsen doing with his own team chasing him down 😕

also a day for a reliable bike.

Gruppo compatto!

boom! WvA wattage bazooka

Is it my signal, or is this buffering like a b*stard?

 is this buffering like a b*stard?

it is for me too

he’s an absolute beast!

you wouldn’t want to be another DS watching the video of van aert.  he looks crazy strong

Laporte has had mostly free ride and he’s still struggling to hold the Beasts wheel

lovely

Bit of a yawn fest tbh

I’m old enough now to remember a time when Jumbo Visma didn’t win the bike race.

Women’s race was equally attritional. How Pfeiffer Georgi managed to come back so often and still be competitive I don’t know. But Marlen Rousser is a machine once she gets a gap

Just reading the race reports now, sounds like a pretty grim day out.

I was working on the CiCLE Classic race in Melton Mowbray; it’s a round of the British Cycling National Junior Men’s Series in the morning and the BC National Women’s Series in the afternoon.

The course is renowned for its really narrow roads and convoluted course which includes a dozen sectors of farm tracks and very broken roads so not dissimilar to a Spring Classic. Some stretches were really muddy after the rain yesterday and this morning. Was more like a CX race at times.

Both races were properly attritional – out of about 100-120 starters in both races, only about 25 finished in very fragmented groups. Good racing though, a fun day out.

Tour of Flanders next weekend!

Tour of Flanders next weekend!

So who’s going?
Heading over with friends for the sportive and some beers.
It means I can guarantee the weather will be bad…

Heading over with friends for the sportive and some beers.

Good luck, it’s a great day

Dwars door Vlaanderen today. Warm up for Tour of Flanders at the weekend…

https://www.cyclingnews.com/dwars-door-vlaanderen/

https://www.cyclingnews.com/dwars-door-vlaanderen-women/